This is about as bipartisan as I get. I actually did send this to the Governor this morning, but I decided to crosspost it here as well. I encourage all Oregonians to email the Governor and let him know what you think about the mileage tax scheme.

Governor Kulongoski:

You say voters have opposed increasing the gas tax. What voters? I've lived here 6 years and never once had the chance to vote on the gas tax.

If voters truly believed that increases in the gas tax would go to pay for roads and not for more mass transit, they would happily approve an increase. Freeways in the Portland metro have virtually the same lane mileage capacity that they did in 1970, yet light rail grows like wildfire. Gee, I can't imagine why drivers feel hosed.

It's this lack of credibility and trust that causes voters to reject tax proposals. Most voters are happy to pay the gas tax so long as it goes to its intended purpose. This mileage tax scheme will only exacerbate existing ill.

Governor Kulongoski, you have given up making an argument for the the gas tax. The gas tax has worked for decades because it's simple, fair and reinforces basic supply and demand principles to encourage fuel conservation and efficiency (a lesson we should learn from Europe).

So just why did the State of Oregon decide to develop this hair-brained mileage tax scheme?

From ODOT's own website:

In 2001, the Oregon State Legislature authorized the creation of the Road User Fee Task Force to examine various revenue raising alternatives for replacing Oregon’s gas tax as the primary source of revenues for repairing, maintaining, and building Oregon’s roads.

The purchasing power of the state’s gas tax has steadily eroded over the years for several reasons:

1. the gas tax has not kept pace with inflation;
2. voters have opposed increases in the gas tax; and
3. the fuel efficiency of new vehicles, especially hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles, continues to increase, resulting in less gas tax paid.

Really? Voters have opposed increases in the gas tax? I've lived here 6 years and I've never once had the chance to vote on any gas tax increases. I was asked to vote on a stupid cigarette tax increase to pay for health care for poor children -- the ultimate blackmail to raise a "sin tax".  But I don't recall being asked to raise the gas tax to pay for better roads. What voters are they talking about?

If voters truly believed that increases in the gas tax would go to pay for Oregon's roads and instead of for mass transit, they would happily approve an increase in the gas tax. Freeways in the Portland metro have virtually the same lane mileage capacity that they did in 1970, yet mass transit continues to grow, grow and grow.  Gee, I can't imagine why drivers don't believe ODOT is going to invest the money in roads.

It's a lack of credibility and trust that causes voters to reject increases in gas taxes. Most voters think a gas tax is a good thing because it pays for roads they use and are happy to pay the tax if it goes to its intended purpose. This mileage tax scheme will only exacerbate the feeling that we can't trust the state to be good stewards of the gas tax money.

Basically Governor Kulongowski has just given up persuading the public to raise the gas tax. 99.9% of all the vehicles on the road consume some type of fuel and we're a long way off from having the roads taken over by plug-in hybrids running off the power grid instead of fuel tanks. The gas tax has worked for decades because it's simple to figure, fair and reinforces basic supply and demand principles to encourage fuel conservation (a lesson we should learn from Europe).

Ted, your logic is all wrong here. The national outrage is growing. You're going to lose this argument and lose it badly.

H/T to "Economist's View"

Tom Lewis at the LA Times writes about what Obama can learn from Eisenhower's 1956 decision to create the Interstate Highway System, funded by 3 cent federal gas tax.

I thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight some Eisenhower Republican values:

• Government investment can be a good thing if invested to provide necessary infrastructure to private enterprise and to promote commerce
  
• Government is not always the problem, but is not always the solution to every problem
• Taxes are not always bad; they are good when necessary, prudent and matched to their purpose

Now, why is government facilitated infrastructure sometimes good? I think the success of the Interstate Highway System and the Internet easily answer that question. Private enterprise might have developed the infrastructure for both on its own but not with the common standards and universality necessary to generate sufficient economies of scale. The government has a role, as stated in the Constitution, to do what it can to promote the general welfare and promote commerce. The Internet and the Interstate Highway System have done both beyond the wildest hopes and dreams anyone had when they were first being discussed.

Now, let's take another tax on a product or service, cigarette taxes. Taxes on say cigarettes are not bad if they are matched directly to the costs caused by tobacco, i.e. healthcare. Raising cigarette taxes to pay for treating smokers, insuring smokers, finding a cure for lung cancer has merits. However, raising cigarette taxes by 84.5 cents to pay for health care of poor children makes no sense and isn't matched at all to the product being taxed. This ludicrous proposal was pushed on the voters of Oregon in 2007 and thankfully was rejected at the ballot box. Using little kids as blackmail and asking smokers (and only smokers) to bear the cost of their care takes some nerve. Little wonder the Democrats are now pushing a mileage tax on Oregon drivers.

So, let me conclude by saying Eisenhower Republicans are not opposed to all taxes and certainly not opposed to necessary and prudent government expenditures. But it would be fair to say that we place far stricter criteria on what is necessary and prudent than the average liberal Democrat would. Cigarette taxes for children's health care is an abuse of the government's power to tax.

Fuel taxes to pay for highways makes perfect sense and is both necessary and prudent. I support them so long as they are used responsibly and the taxes are used to build and maintain transportation infrastructure. Not all taxes and government services are bad.

I think most drivers would agree that every penny spent on the Interstate Highway System has been well worth the investment. If you disagree, stay off the freeway. More room for me and my car.

...about the Bad Newz Kennels pitbulls that formerly belonged to Michael Vick.

I said last month that "A Little Good News" is one of my favorite songs, so it's time to repeat a little good news...

Sports Illustrated has a cover story this week detailing how many of Vick's dogs have ended up with loving families. This after PETA had recommended that all of the dogs be destroyed. Just goes to show the difference a loving family can make not for any dog, even an abused pit bull.

I hope the people of North Plains, Oregon read the SI article. After a recent pit bull attack, the knee-jerk reaction of some local politicians is to advocate for a citywide ban on pit bulls.

First they came for the pit bulls and I remained silent because I didn't have a pit bull.

Then they came for the guns and I said nothing because I didn't have a gun.

Sorry this was supposed to be good news!

The good news is some innocent dogs who only yearned for a loving family to bond with have found one. Dogs are ignorant to politics and reasons why humans act the way they do. An abused child may eventually grow up, escape their situation and become self aware of what they live through. A dog will never be able to understand why they were mistreated. But every dog knows a loving home when they find one. So kudos to SI for running a great story and sharing a little good news about the world we live in.

One last word on the "magic negro" controversy.

Modern Conservative has a great take on the whole firestorm.

But not Saltsman. Not the GOP. No, they're still thinking that the truth matters to the media and the left.

Did they not think that the media was going to jump all over this, and use it as a cudgel? Do they really think that the media is going to spend any time trying to make sure—really sure—that the average person knows that this was a parody of the left's racism? Of their own racism?

Read the whole article here.

Indeed... it was incredibly stupid of Saltsman not to see this coming. Limbaugh can get away with poor taste because Limbaugh can take the heat and articulate clearly what he meant and why he said it. Limbaugh makes a living out of political humor and commentary. Saltsman should know better than to associate himself with material he knows will draw the wrath of the mainstream media.

That's why Rush has a hit radio show and Saltsman is never going to be in the spotlight ever again. On a positive note, this controversy may force the GOP to elect Michael Steele or Ken Blackwell as RNC chair. I've seen Steele on TV many times and he acquits himself well and has been a good leader of GOPAC. Politically speaking, it would be a huge coup to have Steele as RNC chair, especially now with Obama in the White House in less than 30 days.

Besides, I can't wait to see how long it takes a Democrat to label Michael Steele a "magic negro", sellout or any other racist perjorative term they can throw his way.

Bring it on.

The "Barack the Magic Negro" controversy has flamed up again.

The joke is that Limbaugh's parody is using actual words said about Obama straight from the mouths of other African Americans and fellow Democrats. The use of Al Sharpton to make the case isn't a whole lot different than what Saturday Night Live did in a TV Funhouse skit where Obama went to great lengths to send Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to faraway lands to keep them busy and out of the public spotlight.



Fact: David Ehrenstein, an openly gay African American critic, did publish an op-ed calling Obama "the Magic Negro" in March 2007. He even referenced the Wikipedia article entitled "Magic Negro": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro. According to the wiki, Spike Lee popularized the term "magical negro". Sounds like another way to say "sellout" to me... an African American who becomes too cozy and too befriending of some white character in a movie. Or as Ehrenstein infers, Obama is selling out by befriending white voters at the expense of his own race. Remember when Obama was heckled by African Americans in St. Petersburg, Florida? You can almost see Ehrenstein joining the mob yelling "What about the Black Community, Obama?"

Why does it matter that Ehrenstein is gay? Because Mr. Ehrenstein is now pissed off at Obama for selecting Rick Warren for the invocation at the inaugural because he says Obama has basically sold out all LGBT Americans. Apparently Mr. Ehrenstein is quite the critic of Obama... from the left!

Fact: Joe Biden did cause an uproar in February 2007 when he called Obama "clean" and "articulate". Here is the exact quote:

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."

You know, not like those guys, Jesse and Al. Gee, I can't imagine why SNL ran that skit, can you? With feedback like that from Joe Biden, how could they not?

Both of these controversies came from the Left and Democrats. Limbaugh simply had the poor taste to string it together as a parody. He often pointed out throughout the primary campaign all the nasty racial things that Democrats were saying about Obama. Remember Miss Ferraro telling us Barack wouldn't be in the position to win the nomination were he not black? Have they already forgotten why Jesse Jackson said he wanted to "cut Obama's nuts out?" Is no one on the right allowed to parody the outrageous behavior of those on the left?

Is this a conversation Democrats really want to have? Obama politely and maturely has said he sees nothing wrong with political humor and criticism. It's just part of the political game. A wise tact for the man who preaches change. It's high time the Democrats stopped carrying on as the pious party of political correctness.

If they bothered to look deeper into Limbaugh's parody, they'd soon find it's a parody of attacks waged against Obama by other liberals and Democrats. Do they really want to go there? Don't they know that Limbaugh is baiting them to go there so he can throw all the nasty things said by Democrats about Obama back in their face?

Is Limbaugh racist? No.

Is he guilty of poor taste? Yes.

With all due respect to Governor Kulongowski, this has to be the stupidest idea I've ever heard:

From KATU:

Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he will ask the Legislature to begin "a path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation" and to replace it with a mileage tax boosted by satellite technology.
...
"As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system," according to the policies he has outlined online.

Okay, so here's why Ted's idea is STUPID. There's nothing wrong with the gas tax! But Ted says raising the gas tax is a political impossibility. Which is just another way of saying Ted can't make the case to the public or the legislature so instead he is instead trying this silly scheme that will require every Oregonian to have a satellite transmitter that tracks every mile we drive. A very high tech solution to a very simple problem. Hooray for the geeks, boo for those of us who champion smart, simple solutions.

The gas tax is the perfect user fee to pay for infrastructure needs for automobiles and trucks. On the federal level, the Highway Trust Fund was started in 1956 in response to Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System and continues to be funded by federal gas taxes charged at the pump. 52 years later, this continues to serve our nation well. It's a simple tax that is matched to the service provided to the users. If the tax needs to be higher, then raise it. Make the freeways into toll roads if you like. But don't replace the tax with a silly mileage based scheme. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

So what is Ted's goal? Ted wants us to drive less and be more fuel efficient. I agree with Ted that fuel efficiency should be encouraged because the fuels we burn in our cars are non-renewable fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are a precious resource that should be conserved. So what would be the easiest way to address that problem? RAISE the gas tax! The higher the gas tax, the more incentive there will be to drive less and drive more fuel efficient vehicles. Simple supply and demand.

Gee, wouldn't a gas tax increase be a better way to discourage consumption of fuel? A mileage tax would punish the driver of the Prius that gets 50 mpg just as much as it punishes the Hummer that gets 10 mpg. Granted, the Hummer will pay more for fuel no matter what, but you get the idea.

Instead of making the case (and there's a good one that can be made) for higher gas taxes (which would be borne by out of state travelers as well as permanent residents), the governor has chosen a silly scheme that will record every mile I drive and send me a bill. I think in places like Ohio they call that a toll road or turnpike.

At least turning Interstate 5 into the Oregon Turnpike would feel more honest. I've been more than happy to pay for toll roads in places like Ohio when I needed to get from Point A to Point B and didn't mind paying a little more to get there quicker.

I should have paid attention more in English class. I never took a single Journalism class and it shows. So you will find my thoughts a little disjointed, rambling and hard to follow at times. I apologize in advance.

I don't promise to make sense all the time, I only promise to do my best to advance the conversation and bring a point of view that is anything but popular. I firmly believe that popular opinion is often just that, popular, and is no indication of truth or reality. I'm not seeking popularity, I seek the truth.

Or as Jack Brigance so aptly put in his closing summation in John Grisham's "A Time to Kill":

"You see, in all this legal maneuvering something has gotten lost, and that something is the truth."

"Now, it is incumbent upon us lawyers not to just talk about the truth, but to actually seek it, to find it, to live it."

I am not a lawyer (or a journalist), but I always seek to weigh the evidence, without passion or prejudice, as I would expect any good judge to do. I did take a few law classes and loved every minute of them. Someday, I might just enroll in law school but I'm scared of making an argument in open court. Being a good lawyer is a lot more work than being a good cube dweller at Initech.

This blog is mostly dedicated to politics, but some days I just blog on whatever I feel like yapping about. Like the epic snowfall in the Portland metro this month. If you don't want to read it, move along. Change the channel. Tune me out. Get your own blog. It's no skin off my back.

Wherever possible, I will try to substantiate my opinion with facts, statistics and sources. I seek the truth but admit that I will often fall short in finding it or expressing the truth in a way that others can readily follow. Feel free to point out where you think I am wrong. Supplement me with more data or your own opinion. Any further evidence either in support or in refutation is always welcome. For the truth never changes and it is up to us, each and every one of us, to seek out the truth.

Most of the truth, most of the time. If you are looking for 100% truth all the time, I suggest you turn to God. I'm not perfect, I'm just me. Take it or leave it.

That's my disclaimer. You've been warned!

Ever wonder how Muslims can claim Abraham as the father of their religion (as do Christians and Jews), yet deny that Israel is the land God gave to his chosen people?

Well, apparently Massimo Palazzi, the leader of the Italian Muslim Assembly, is willing to speak out on what the Qur'an really has to say about Israel and the Jews. He isn't afraid to tell the Islamists they are flat out wrong in their interpretation of Islamic scripture.

Read Palazzi's commentary by clicking here

Palazzi correctly identifies the late Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin el-Husseini, as the cause of much of the strife between Arabs and Jews in Palestine.

Palazzi says about the late Mufti:

[Haj Amin el-Husseini] is the one person most responsible, both morally and materially, for the repeated Arab defeats in their conflict with the Jews in Israel.

Husseni not only incited Arabs against Jews. He also encouraged the torture and murder of all Arabs who correctly understood that Arab cooperation with Jews was a precious opportunity for the development of the Land of Israel. Husseini ended his woeful life by putting his perverted religious teachings at the service of the evil and pagan Nazis.

Yup... that's right, the Mufti was in the service of Hitler and the Nazis. Hitler realized they both hated the Jews and used the Mufti as a tool in his Final Solution. Or perhaps the Mufti used Hitler. Either way, it says a lot about the Mufti and the Islamists. One doesn't have to spend much time watching Arab media on MEMRI's web site to see that anti-Semitism is alive and well in the Middle East. The blood libels first perpetrated in czarist Russia and Nazi Germany are being repeated today to a bloodthristy public crazed with hatred for anything Jewish.

Said the Mufti on Radio Berlin on March 1, 1944:

'Arabs, rise as one man and fight for your sacred rights. Kill the Jews wherever you find them. This pleases God, history, and religion. This saves your honor. God is with you.

I rest my case. The Islamists are modern day Nazis, using a perverted version of Islam just as Hitler perverted Christianity to justify his Third Reich.

Palestine, or Palestina, is the name the Romans gave to the Jewish homeland that they conquered and destroyed. The Romans hoped that changing the name would complete their plan to permanently disenfranchise the Jews and extinguish any hopes of regaining their homeland.

Palazzi is an outspoken, reasonable and rational man but is drowned out by the fanatics. So it was in the 1930s and so it is today. The Mufti may be dead, but his followers have spread like wildfire.

We live in very dangerous times indeed.

I wish I could come up with up some cute poem or song in the style of the "12 Days of Christmas" but suffice to say we've had some wacky weather here in the Willamette Valley and it all started 12 days before Christmas. It's finally thawed and there's little snow left to run on. But I decided I should blog on my little adventures before I forget about them.

Sunday, December 14
The first day it snowed. The valley transformed from the Valley of the Grey Rain Cloud to the Valley of HO, HO, SNOW! It started around 8 am while I was at mass. I barely made it back up the hill I live on and had to chain up to leave the house for work the next morning. I measured about 3 inches of fresh powder. I decided to go for a run Sunday night because fresh, softly packed powder is my favorite running surface. So I just headed out the door around my neighborhood in Beaverton. Before I left, I put on a pair of slip of "Everyday Traction Aids" (aka running spikes) made by Due North. They were very easy to slip on and slip off. I was able to run with confidence on the icier parts of the streets and sidewalks. Total run time was about 30 minutes and I think I stopped at the local grocery store to get provisions.


Wednesday, December 17
It started snowing mid morning while I was at work so I decided to go out for a lunch run to the Tualatin Hills Nature Park. I drove over to the park to maximize my time on the trails. The trails in the park had a nice base of an inch or two of packed powder and it was perfect for running on. I used the spikes and ran with confidence. The only complaint was the ice pellet like snow that was falling... almost like hail and it stung a little as it hit me in the face. But the overall experience was very positive. I put in about 4 miles and spent 85% of that time on the trail. Saw quite a few other runners out on the trail getting in their snow run as well.

Thursday, December 18
The snow was hanging around because it hadn't warmed up enough to really thaw. I wanted to run "the Goose" up to Council Crest with my running club but forgot to bring my running shoes to work so I just headed home to wait out the weather, hoping for some fresh snow. Time slipped away and it was 9:30 pm before I decided to head up to Hillsdale for a run. I brought the spikes and parked near Wilson High School.

I ran uphill using SW Trail #6 to Fairmount Blvd. There was barely enough snow to run my spikes on but it was icy in spots so left them on for safety reasons. Occasionally, it would start to snow but it was spotty flurries at best and never really started to accumulate. I left Fairmount and took the Marquam Trail up to Council Crest. The snow in the woods and the city lights made it possible to run without a headlamp. The top of Council Crest was an eerily quiet and spooky winter oasis. I had the place all to myself. But I really needed to get back home so I scampered back down the Marquam Trail. I made an impulsive decision to keep running down the Marquam Trail to the Terwilliger Trail, which skirts OHSU's campus. It was all wooded and the snowpack decreased little by little as I lost elevation. This made it both harder to follow the trail and more icy as the temperature kept falling. Towards the bottom of the trail I fell a couple of times on my caboose as the trail was too steep and icy. The spikes couldn't save me! Fortunately, I didn't fall too hard and popped right back up. Once I hit Terwilliger, I took the spikes off and discovered that two of them had snapped off. Guess I should only use them when the surface has adequate snow cover to make them worthwhile. The spikes can be replaced so I'll have to order some more. I finished my loop and made it back to Wilson High, nearly 2 hours after I started and an hour more than I intended to run. It was a fun adventure but I was glad to get home back to my warm bed. I was also getting tired of driving around with chains on my car!

Sunday, December 21
I was in Corvallis, where it was raining, so I decided to take the dog up to Mary's Peak for a run in the snow. Unfortunately, the access road to Mary's Peak was snowed in from Highway 34, so I had to park next to Hwy. 34 and run in from there. It was raining but there was plenty of slushy, mushy snow on the access road. The dog was in heaven, but it was not so much fun for me. I ran uphill and the only packed snow was in the wheel ruts where 4x4 vehicles had made a path through the snow. We ran about a mile or so up the hill and then took a logging road another half mile or so uphill. I decided I'd had enough and turned around to head back down the hill. The dog clearly was having the time of his life so it wasn't a wasted trip. I managed to get back down the hill without totally soaking my running shoes in the slushy, semi packed snow.

After I got back to Corvallis, I got ready to make the trek back home to Beaverton. The weather north of Salem was like night and day that Sunday. Corvallis was downright tropical compared to the Portland Metro. I chained up on I-5 just south of Salem and never went more than 30 mph after Salem. What is normally a 1 1/2 hour drive took nearly 4 hours. I arrived home to find 8 inches of snow and ice in my yard. My car barely made it into the driveway. I proceeded to shovel out my driveway and the sidewalk. Before I went to bed, I got out the snowboard and did my first turns of the year down my street. I grade my street a blue run, maybe a green run at Mt. Bachelor. At any rate, you can't beat the lift ticket price on my street. A couple of runs down the street and I was ready for bed. It had been a long day.

Monday, December 22
The day started out with 5 more inches of fresh powder overnight. Work was closed, so I did some odds and ends around the house. I decided to join the Monday run at Portland Running Company, which turned out to be closed due to the snow. So I decided to do another fun run in town by myself, this time to Peacock Lane. So I parked the car at the MAX station in Beaverton and rode the trail to Hollywood. The snow was deep on the streets and it truly was a winter wonderland. Peacock Lane was gorgeous in the snow... just as it should be. I ran back towards downtown on Belmont. Belmont looked like the main drag in Bedford Falls with all the snow piled up everywhere. The Morrison Bridge was interesting to say the least... the plows had piled up all the snow on the sidewalk and it was only packed down in a narrow corridor where snowshoers and other adventure seekers had packed it down. I made it back downtown and caught the MAX back to my car. This run was just over an hour and was just what the doctor ordered to get my snow running fix and assuage my guilt over too many sugary calories and hours on the couch glued to the tube.

Wednesday, December 24
The day the thaw began. I woke up to an inch of fresh snow and busted out the snowboard for the last 2 runs I would get in on my street. Later in the day, it started to warm a little and the road was too packed and unsuitable for the snowboard. Still not nice enough to take off my chains though. The snow was just too deep. It takes a while for a foot of packed snow to melt off streets that don't get plowed. They only plow major arteries in the Portland metro because it doesn't snow often enough to plow like Midwestern cities do. So we have to deal with slush much longer than we otherwise would if all the streets were plowed and salted. Oh well. The slush and ice makes running no fun for me so I take a vacation from running for the rest of the week. Everyone in Portland is sick of snow by Christmas.

Thursday, December 25
It's cold enough to snow but not cold enough to stick. So we get a beautiful White Christmas but the new snow mercifully doesn't stick and add to the misery of unplowed snow on the streets. It slowly begins to warm some more. Still not ideal running conditions and the roads made it ill advised to drive to trails that would be fun to run on. So I just stayed home and watched the snow melt.

Saturday, December 27
I went out to Seaside and took the dog for a run down the beach. No sign of snow in Seaside but the wind was wicked as a warm winter storm was gusting in from the south. I only made it a mile down the beach before I thought better of it and headed back before I froze to death in the wet wind. Again, the dog enjoyed this run way, way more than I did. It was the kind of weather that scares off tourists who entertain thoughts of moving to the Northwest.

Sunday, December 28
One last run in my neighborhood to search out snow. For only the second day since December 14, my street is mostly snow and ice free and my chains are off the car for good. The dog and I headed out to Hyland Forest Park, where we found a few sections of snow packed trail left. He was happy and I was happy. We made one loop around the park and kept it a short little fun run. Total run time was 20 minutes but it was a very pleasurable run for being so short. I really should run this loop more often but I tend to take it for granted since it's so close to my house. The trail has some great rolling hills and is perfect for fartlek.

Well... that's it. I think it snowed on 5 or 6 days in the last 2 weeks. I recapped (at least the ones I could remember) all the adventure runs in the wicked wild Western Oregon weather. I've run on snow, ice, sand, in the hills, on the beach, in the city, in the mountains and on the coast. As I write this it's a warm 50 degrees in Beaverton and the snow is rapidly disappearing. But who knows... we could be in for some more wild winter weather. After all, winter is only a week old!

"The stirring in our hearts when watching the star-studded sky is something no language can declare." - Abraham Joshua Heschel, "Man Is Not Alone"

40 years ago today, the crew of Apollo 8 orbited the Moon and broadcast the first pictures from that vantage point ever seen by human eyes. The crew took turns reading from the Book of Genesis. You can watch the NASA video below to experience the magical journey of Apollo 8 again.

The words of the Apollo 8 crew were so poignant on Christmas Eve, 1968 during the height of the Vietnam War and great domestic unrest following the assassinations of MLK, Jr. and RFK.

"...from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth"

If the embed doesn't work, click here to view the BBC video.

I think the BBC commentary at the end of the video says it all. Truly an incredible moment in human history and quite an awe inspiring experience of curious wonder.

Merry Christmas to all the people of the good Earth and peace be with you all.

No work and a snow day makes Jack a very happy boy.
No work and a snow day makes Jack a very happy boy.
No work and a snow day makes Jack a very happy boy.
...

Source: Guardian, UK
They call him "No Drama" Obama. Guess he really is Joe Kool after all.

The photographer just released the photos now. She kept them "hidden in a safety deposit box until after the election for fear that the photographs might be used to attack Obama's campaign." Wow... what an altruistic person!

Gee... wonder if the photographer would have held back the photos if they'd been of George W. Bush? Doubt it. She'd probably throw her camera at him and then throw her shoes too.

Whatever. Hey kids, Obama is KOOL! Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

The shoe thrower apologized today. Like he had a choice but to come clean... the whole world has seen the video.

Dubya did a pretty good job ducking the shoes, which were right on target for Bush's head. Bush struggled to come up with just the right words after things settled down but I loved his general take on the situation.

Essentially, Dubya said "So what? The guys was seeking attention and the media is giving it to him. End of story." He hardly even seemed phased and acted like it was different than being heckled at a political rally. Free speech in free societies brings out the occasional nutjob.

It's because of attention hounds that sportscasters don't show the TV audience the naked guy streaking across the football field anymore. Giving the idiots airtime entertains the viewing public but just encourages more idiots to seek out their ten seconds of celebrity.

The selection of Pastor Rick Warren brought objections from gay rights advocates, who strongly supported Obama during the election campaign. The advocates are angry over Warren's backing of a California ballot initiative banning gay marriage. That measure was approved by voters last month.

But Obama told reporters in Chicago that America needs to "come together," even when there's disagreement on social issues. "That dialogue is part of what my campaign is all about," he said.

Read the full article at MSNBC by clicking here

Kudos to Obama on that one.

It's time that liberals learned from Obama's example and learn to disagree without being disagreeable. Everyone has their own point of view and you don't need to altogether shut out people who have a different opinion from you. It's called tolerance, the same tolerance that pious liberals preach to the rest of us about from their ivory tower soapboxes.

Having a different opinion about gay marriage from the liberal agenda is not hate, it's just having a different opinion. Most people who oppose gay marriage oppose it out of love for traditional marriage and traditional family values, not because they hate gay people.

So again, kudos to Obama for taking a stand against liberal intolerance for different opinions. Intolerance exists in all corners of America, not just on the conservative side of the aisle.

I wouldn't attend Warren's church because I prefer the Catholic Church but I thought he did the nation a valuable service with his "Saddleback Forum". I thought it was the best discussion between two candidates I've ever seen. Warren has a very friendly demeanor. He's warm, easygoing and talks to people like they are his good friends. It's easy to see why he's so successful in his ministry.

For the record, it doesn't bother me if gays want to get married in California or any other state. If that's what the people want, let them vote it in using the democratic, legislative process. Just so long as the states don't force churches such as the Catholic Church to change their values and mandate that gays be allowed to get married in the church. Civil gay marriages are fine by me. But I draw a firm line at interfering with a church's right to practice its religion and adhere to their values.

The Catholic Church's views on marriage have been clearly stated for millenia. Surely, the people who preach to us about separation of church and state can see that there are two sides to that coin. If they want the church out of the state's affairs, they must concede that the state has no business interfering in the church's affairs. Otherwise, the 1st Amendment guaranteeing freedom of religion is meaningless and we will have totally abandoned the vision of the founding fathers.

As we travel the interstate highways to visit friends and family during the holidays, let us not forget that those ribbons of concrete that we travel on pay homage to the man who had the vision to see how beneficial they would be.

As it often happened, Ike's vision for America was shaped by what he saw in Europe (the autobahns in Germany) but also what he saw here at home when he participated in a convoy from coast to coast in 1919 on the old Lincoln Highway. Both were experiences he never forgot.

In 1919, Ike's convoy took 62 days to get from Washington D.C. to San Francisco. 62 days!

The genius of Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System was to make it a federal-state partnership, thus preserving the proper balance of power between the federal and state governments. This put a uniquely American stamp on it and differentiated us from the Europeans. The federal government facilitates and sets the standards for the roads but doesn't run roughshod over the states and local governments.

Ike declared to Congress in February 1955:

‘Our unity as a nation is sustained by free communication of thought and by easy transportation of people and goods. The ceaseless flow of information throughout the Republic is matched by individual and commercial movement over a vast system of interconnected highways crisscrossing the country and joining at our national borders with friendly neighbors to the north and south.

‘Together, the uniting forces of our communication and transportation systems are dynamic elements in the very name we bear — United States. Without them, we would be a mere alliance of many separate parts.’

As a child in the 1970s and 1980s, I was a big time "roadgeek" and I loved the interstates. I studied every new Rand McNally road atlas to see where the newest freeways had sprung up and memorized where they all went.

Route 66 is the nostalgic road that songs were written about and people seek out today. But to find old Route 66, you have to take Interstates 55, 44 and 40. The Interstate may not be pretty or nostalgic but it has been everything Ike promised and far more than he ever could have.

We took what the Germans had done and improved greatly on it (with the exception of our silly speed limit laws and refusal to crack down on slowpokes in the passing lanes). Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System is the finest transportation network the world has ever known.

Now if we could just get busy and build an interstate highway of energy corridors like T. Boone Pickens advocates for... or as some propose a national broadband network.

These are the creative, innovative ways that real Eisenhower Republicans can build the infrastructure to support the expansion of industry, commerce and free enterprise.

Eisenhower is often remembered for D-Day and WW2. He should be more remembered for all he did to advance the cause of free enterprise, commerce and economic development. He knew it was the surest way to preserve the peace and secure a prosperous future.

Those who want America to be more like European welfare states easily forget all the reasons our founding fathers sought to avoid becoming just like Europe when they founded this nation as a republic. A republic with a central government with limited power, with all remaining power vested in the states and the people of those states.

Everything Eisenhower learned about government "gone wild", he learned by observing Europe before, during and after World War II.

Just listen to Ike explain the danger of democracy run amok:

"Free government is nothing but an opportunity for the exercise of self-discipline. If we don't do [things for] ourselves, then someone is going to do it for us, a strong central agency. If we do not exercise self-discipline, we will be inviting a Hitler, or someone like him."

Eisenhower's views of the ever expanding welfare state, LBJ's Great Society boondoggle:

"We are paying too much for this welfare in terms of self-reliance, courage, and devotion to freedom. When you talk about economic security, and neglect to talk about opportunity, you are destroying the pioneer spirit. I expect to see a swing away from all this one of these days, back to traditional values."

Remember to be careful what you wish for and pay heed to Eisenhower's advice. If you ask the government to provide or guarantee a right to food, housing, health care and all the other spoils of the welfare state, you will slowly but surely have to sacrifice your freedom. I, for one, would rather live free or die than to become a slave of the welfare state.

The President-elect's request to move into the White House guest residence, Blair House, early has been denied.

Why did Obama want to move in early? So that Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, would be settled in for their first day of school at their fancy schmansy private school, Sidwell Friends, the same uber-elite private school that Chelsea Clinton attended because of security and privacy concerns. Or at least that's the copout reason the Clintons and Obamas give for sending their kids to elite private schools while singing the praises of public schools, teacher unions and telling us how evil vouchers that allow poor children to escape failing public schools are.

No, the media would rather be outraged that Obama can't move in early. They couldn't possibly be bothered to be outraged that another hypocritical liberal is snubbing public schools for elite, private schooling for their own children.

UPDATE 1/7/09: I watched ABC's "World News Tonight" on Monday (January 5) and saw Charlie Gibson fawning over the Obama girls because they will be attending his alma mater, the uber-elite Sidwell Friends School. Gibson never once mentioned anything about the cost of tuition at the elite private school or all the public schools the Obamas passed up to send their children to Sidwell Friends. I can't find video but there's a discussion of it at Democratic Underground here.

For the record, tuition at Sidwell Friends is $28,442 per year. To put that in perspective, $28,442 per year is equivalent to hourly take home earnings of $13.67... just for tuition! How many working Americans (that Democrats like Obama always talk about on the stump) could ever afford to send their children to Sidwell Friends? Is this the change Obama promised? Elite schools for his children, failing public schools controlled by teachers' unions for your children?

Welcome back to good ole 1955!



Yes, I know, the Universal Studio lot for Back to The Future (the Hill Valley courthouse square set) got torched earlier this year... but 1955 is a state of mind and the timeless values from that era just need perfecting, not discarding.

My little brother and I (he was only a toddler at the time) must have seen Back To The Future on VHS about 100 times in the mid 80s. Of course, we also watched other movies over and over again like Animal House, Ghostbusters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Star Wars trilogy, Airplane and everything else we could tape off HBO or Cinemax in those early days of cable TV. You know, back when MTV still played videos in heavy rotation, before The Real World and Beavis & Butthead took over.

Sounds bleak? You bet it does!

Jon Markman at MSN's MoneyCentral has some sobering predictions for 2009. Most of what he has to say confirms the gut feelings I have about the economy next year.

If 2008 often felt like a nauseating but endurable ride, as government and banking authorities grappled with unseen forces that rocked the investment world, then 2009 will be the year that distress becomes so great that investors actually lose their stomachs.

The past year may have been about the loss of confidence, but the coming year will be about the loss of hope.

By proposing massive borrowing to battle a problem created by an excess of debt, the government has essentially proposed fighting fire with gasoline.

Read the full article here

The only thing for sure is that the economy is going to get a lot worse before it hits bottom and bounces back. 2009 is going to be very painful but very necessary to unwind the credit and asset price bubble.

Source: www.bls.gov

Only once since the Great Depression ended has the unemployment rate exceeded 10%. That was during the Volcker recession in 1982-83, when unemployment topped out at 10.8%.

We're supposed to get our big snowstorm in Oregon this weekend, but back in my hometown of Baton Rouge, it's already snowing!

Meteorologist Danielle Manning with the National Weather Service in Slidell estimated that 3 inches of snow fell in East Baton Rouge Parish, 2 inches in West Baton Rouge Parish and 5 in Livingston Parish.

SWEET! I love the photo of the snowboarder on the City Park golf course.

It's always been fashionably cool to make fun of Louisiana politics. A lot of it is deserved, but I'm hoping the Illinois governor scandal diverts attention away from us and to the former Land of Lincoln.

Besides, Louisiana is piling up historic firsts in a good way these days and has much to be PROUD of.

Bobby Jindal, the young, highly intelligent Rhodes Scholar (just like Slick Willie!) governor is a Republican, a Roman Catholic and his parents are Punjabi immigrants from India who immigrated to Louisiana to attend graduate school at LSU. Bobby's parents stayed in Baton Rouge and the rest is history. On a national level, Jindal is considered the number one rising star in the Republican Party.

Anh "Joseph" Cao, is the newly elected Congressman who defeated William Jefferson, the infamous Democrat who was caught having $100k in cold, hard cash in his freezer. Cao, like Jindal, is also Roman Catholic, in a state with a large Catholic population. Cao was born in Saigon, Vietnam and escaped to America in 1975 after the fall of Saigon. His father fought in the South Vietnamese army and was imprisioned, leaving his mother to raise Anh and his siblings. Cao is new on the political scene but his life story is sure to draw a lot of attention, especially as a Republican originally from South Vietnam. Imagine if 30 years from now an immigrant from Iraq won a seat in Congress as a Republican. Sounds highly unlikely, doesn't it? Cao's story is just as, if not more so, remarkable as the election of Barack Obama as President. Don't expect the media to pay much notice, though. Cao was no doubt strongly influenced by Bobby Jindal's election as governor in Louisiana.

As though the story of Bobby Jindal and Joseph Cao weren't enough to show this isn't Huey's Louisiana anymore, let us not forget one more Asian American from Louisiana who left his mark and was enormously popular.

Harry Lee, born in the back room of his Chinese family's laundry in 1932 rose to serve as Sheriff of suburban Jefferson Parish for 27 and 1/2 years. Often Lee would say some controversial things but like Phoenix's more famous sheriff, Joe Arpaio, he was enormously popular for his blunt, direct way of dealing with crime. Lee died of cancer on October 1, 2007. Though a registered Democrat, Lee endorsed Mike Foster and Bobby Jindal in their respective campaigns for governor.

So there you have it. The story of 3 highly successful Asian Americans from Louisiana who lived out the American dream that all immigrants to this country share. Their stories say a lot about how far Louisiana has come and much about the potential future for the Republican Party.

I detest fair weather fans. You know who I'm talking about. I was able to truly enjoy seeing my alma mater win two national titles in football this decade because I endured staying until the bitter end during losing seasons in the 1990s where the game was often far, far out of reach. My freshman year we were 2-9. We were B-A-D. But because I was there for the worst of times and stayed with my team throughout those losing seasons and lean times, I was able to appreciate the best of times when all those fair weather fans got back on the bandwagon and we shocked the nation with our title runs. The gain was worth the pain.

So when I see fair weather Republicans who jump off the bandwagon to support Barack Obama, I can't help but wonder why they became Republicans in the first place. Or rather why they didn't join the Democratic Party years ago. Surely they don't believe that everything that pushed them away from the Democrats has suddenly changed. Surely they can't believe that Democrats are the best party to defend the Constitution, promote self governance, individual liberty, fiscal conservatism (both at home and in government).

Instead, Susan Eisenhower and her childhood friend, Megan Beyer have this to say to explain why they've left the GOP:

SUSAN EISENHOWER: "In my grandparents’ time, the thrust of the party was rooted in: a respect for the Constitution; the defense of civil liberties; a commitment to fiscal responsibility; the pursuit and stewardship of America’s interests abroad; the use of multilateral international engagement and "soft power"; the advancement of civil rights; investment in infrastructure; environmental stewardship; the promotion of science and its discoveries; and a philosophical approach focused squarely on the future."

"Hijacked by a relatively small few, the GOP of today bears no resemblance to Lincoln, Roosevelt or Eisenhower’s party, or many of the other Republican administrations that came after."

Thus was Susan Eisenhower's justification for leaving the GOP and endorsing Barack Obama for President.

Susan, your grandfather was publicly quoted in 1966 in Newsweek as being quite strongly against LBJ's ever-expanding welfare state. Until his dying breath, your grandfather remained a Republican. If he were alive today, he'd probably still be trying to influence the GOP from within rather than blasting it in newspapers and in public and endorsing the opposition.

On respect for the Constitution, how is Roe v. Wade respect for the Constitution and republican self governance?

On civil liberties, sure Democrats want you to be free to burn a flag lit up with a joint of medical marijuana. Woo hoo. But Democrats take away economic freedom every time they raise taxes, threaten to nationalize more and more of our lives and limit consumer choice by supporting teachers unions and single-payer health care. The higher our tax burden and the more control resides in Washington D.C., the less real freedom Americans will have. Having personal freedom to act a fool if you so please is meaningless if you have ever decreasing economic freedom to decide for yourself how to invest, save and choose your own future.

On fiscal responsibility, Bush was largely a failure. Largely because while he decreased taxes, he didn't do enough to rein in spending. But when have Democrats shown any real tendency to rein in federal spending in the last 50 years? It was a Republican Congress in the 1990s that reined in spending and balanced the budget while lucking out with a huge increase in income due to the dot-com boom. Democrats believe in balancing budgets by raising taxes and slightly decreasing the rate of new spending. Count me in with P.J. O'Rourke, the real problem is spending and every additional dollar spent by the federal government is less freedom and independence for individuals.

I could go on and on... but back to the original point. Yes, there are real, clear and present problems with the Republican Party in the last eight years. John McCain and Bobby Jindal have been quite accurately describing those problems. If you believe in the values of the party of Lincoln, TR, Eisenhower, Goldwater and Reagan, then you don't abandon it, you work to reform it and make it better, stronger and enduring. You don't jump ship to the other side.

America has its share of problems but I would never leave this country because all those values I believe in are best understood and best practiced here. No other country on the planet has held so long and so true to our core values of republican self governance. I, for one, intend to stay and fight for what I believe in.

As with a football team, sometimes you just need a new coach to lead the team. Bush was a mediocre coach at best. Even the best programs (Nebraska, Michigan, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, LSU come to mind) fall on hard times when a mediocre or downright lousy coach takes the reins. Loyal alumni who truly love their alma mater don't give up the ship, don't give up the team. They find a new coach to lead them back to their rightful position at the top of their game. Time for the GOP to go out and find the next coach who can go out and "win one for the Gipper."

I spend so much time living in the past that I decided to change the name to a hopefully more permanent name.

Please update your links to ikeonic.blogspot.com

All archived posts from McCainiac.blogspot.com can be found at IKEonic.blogspot.com, where's it always safe and sound just like in good ole 1955.

Come sit a spell with me here at IKEonic as we explore what values are worth retaining and fighting for from the era of Eisenhower and where we have and can continue to "progress" towards perfecting Ike's blueprint for republican self governance.

I genuinely like Ike, the "forgotten conservative", and I think if more Americans were in touch with Eisenhower's real views on republican self governance and what it really means to be American citizens, this country would be a whole lot better off for it.

In order for us to get "back to the future", first we're going to have to learn all we can from the wisdom of long ago. I hope you'll join me.

Ciao!

Illinois is now on its way to having FOUR recent governors in forty years go to prison.

The people of LoUiSiAna thank you. It's about time the world knew we aren't the most corrupt state in the Union. Illinois is definitely now the BCS champions of crooked, corrupt governors.

Everyone now knows about Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich.

How about the other Illinois governors who went to the pokey?

George Ryan, Republican
Blagojevich succeeded George Ryan, a Republican, who was also prosecuted and convicted by Patrick Fitzgerald (the same prosecutor in the Blagojevich case and the Scooter Libby trial). Ryan is currently serving his sentence in an Indiana prison.

Daniel Walker, Democrat
Ryan's departure from the Governor's Mansion ended 25 years of Republican governors in Illinois. That reign began in 1977 when James R. Thompson was sworn in after successfully prosecuting Otto Kerner (read more about him below) in 1973 and 1974. The outgoing Democratic governor, Daniel Walker, was convicted in 1987 for misdeeds related to the S&L crisis in the 1980s and served 18 months in a Minnesota prison. Walker's crimes were committed many years after he left the Governor's Mansion but still brought shame upon his state. Thompson was a federal prosecutor who also convincted many of Mayor Daley's top aides and even prosecuted some prominent Republicans. Thompson served as Illinois' governor from 1977 to 1991 and was the longest serving Governor of the state.

Otto Kerner, Democrat
Governor Kerner resigned in 1968 to become a federal appeals judge. In 1969, he was accused of accepting bribes as Governor to give concessions to a Chicago area racetrack. In 1973, he was prosecuted by fellow Democrat (and aforementioned convict) James Thompson and was convicted. He resigned from the federal bench in 1974, was released from prison early due to terminal cancer and died in 1976.

One thing Louisiana and Illinois do have in common... most of the corrupt politicians going to the pokey are DEMOCRATS.

One reason why Eisenhower swept into office in 1953 was because the outgoing Truman administration had been rocked not just by the war in Korea but also by a corruption scandal in 1950. Truman himself was embarassed by allegations that his wife and other senior administration officials had received fur coats and deep freezers for favors. How serious all this corruption and influence peddling in the Truman administration was isn't really relevant... the public perception was influenced and Eisenhower was able to capitalize by running as a reformer, a reformer who was the General who led the D-Day invasion force.

Today's Republicans would do well to learn from history and run as reformers, first and foremost. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald (who probably has his own aspirations of running for Governor of Illinois) just said that old Abe Lincoln would be "spinning in his grave" if he saw what Blagojevich had done.

One has to wonder if Fitzgerald isn't just prosecuting Blagojevich but setting the stage for his own run for higher office as a Republican. Fitzgerald's brother, Peter, served one term as a Republican US Senator from Illinois and was succeeded by none other than Barack Obama, the very Senate seat that is now vacant and the same seat that Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell.

So it wouldn't be too big of a leap to think that Patrick Fitzgerald is after either the Governor's Mansion or the US Senate. He wouldn't be the first Illinois Republican to prosecute and convict Democrats and Republicans as a federal prosecutor and subsequently use it as a launching pad to higher office.

From Ryan Frank at the Oregonian and the Mortgage Bankers Association... here's national and Oregon level data from 1979 forward... current data is on the left so you have to read right to left for the proper historical prospective...

I just parked Ikeonic.blogspot.com and I am thinking of moving to this new address.

Quite simply, I spend a lot more time talking about Eisenhower's legacy than I do about McCain's. I think McCain still has a big role to play in the Senate and with the new Obama administration. But clearly, McCain had his run at the Presidency and won't be running again.

So, I, along with other Eisenhower republicans (little "r", not big "R") lie in wait for Republicans to find that next champion of true republican, conservative values. Someone who can sell themselves to the nation and isn't shy about talking about what they believe in and persuading others to join with them.

McCain was clearly not that man, though like Ike, I believe he is a quite, humble man who needs someone else who can articulate and sell their beliefs. The message and the values are right and timeless, now it's just a matter of finding that gifted speaker.

I still believe, until proven otherwise, that Louisiana's Bobby Jindal can be that leader. We shall see. Until then, my blog will probably be living safe and sound in good ole 1955.

Whoopi Goldberg made headlines when she joined the protest against the Mormon church for their opposition to California's Proposition 8. Their knee-jerk slogan was "Make love, not H8". Cute.

But perhaps Whoopi would do better to address her outrage at African Americans. If she is so certain that Mormons hate gays, perhaps she look at the way black people voted and things they had to say about Prop 8.

From the LA Times:

"I was born black. I can't change that," said Culver City resident Bilson Davis, 57, who voted for Proposition 8. "They weren't born gay; they chose it," he added, reflecting a commonly held belief that many researchers dispute.

Although many of the state's black political leaders spoke out against Proposition 8, an exit poll of California voters showed that black voters favored the measure by a ratio of more than 2 to 1. Not only was the black vote weighted heavily in favor of Proposition 8, but black turnout -- spurred by Barack Obama's historic campaign for president -- was unusually large, with African Americans making up roughly 10% of the state electorate.

Why don't liberals go after blacks who defend traditional marriage? I'll bet Whoopi wouldn't dare call out other blacks for refusing to defeat Prop. 8.

Personally, if gay people want to have the same rights as married people, I'm fine with that. State sanctioned marriage or civil marriage as it is known by Catholics is not the same as the type of covenant marriage sanctioned by the church. I would have a serious problem if the state forced the Catholic Church to sanction and officiate the marriages of homosexuals in the church.

But civil marriage has always been and should always be a state issue, not a federal one. The federal courts have already made birth control and abortion federally protected "rights" within the penumbra of the Constitution. Don't be surprised if Obama packs the court with justices who eventually see fit to recognize marriage between (man/man, woman/woman, man/goat, man/woman,woman,woman, man/boy, man/toddler) should be legal. The more the federal courts "reinvent" the Constitution as it goes, the less power states like California have to self-determine these moral issues for themselves.

Huge news this morning... Illinois' Democrat governor has been arrested on federal corruption charges.

Illinois Republicans have just been given a huge gift. Let's see if they capitalize and use this news as an impetus to reclaim the Land of Lincoln.

Blagojevich was taken into custody hours after the Tribune reported that the investigation into allegations of pay-to-play politics within his administration had been expanded to include his pending choice of a Senate replacement for Obama. The Democratic governor has said he expects to make a decision on the state's next senator in weeks.

Blagojevich, of course, is a Chicago machine DEMOCRAT with ties to Tony Rezko.

Read more at the now bankrupt Chicago Tribune

I just heard Matt Lauer say that Blagojevich even threatened the Tribune that he would withhold aid from the state if editors didn't pull the plug on negative opinion pieces and stories about the governor.

Folks, I'm from Louisiana and I've seen crooked politicians. Edwin Edwards, former Democratic governor, currently sits in federal prison. William Jefferson, soon to be former Democratic Congressman, is all but convicted of taking bribes for favors and keeping $100k of bribe money in his freezer.

But this Illinois governor, again a DEMOCRAT, may just take the cake. Corruption is rampant in both political parties, but if Republicans can't make hay over this in Illinois and take back the governor's mansion, they aren't worthy of living in the Land of Lincoln.

That dialogue I posted the other day from the Sopranos was taken out of context. Upon further review, I rediscovered that it included a discussion of B.J. "Slick Willie" Clinton's affair with "that woman, Miss Lewinsky". A proud moment in our nation's history.

From the 1999 episode "Nobody Knows Anything", here's the full conversation:

Meadow Soprano: This country's light-years behind the rest of the world. Most civilized countries have legalized prostitution.
Tony Soprano: Don't you got somewhere to be?
Meadow Soprano: I mean, it's a joke. Look what they're putting the President through.
Carmela Soprano: He deserved what he got.
Anthony 'A.J.' Soprano, Jr.: He got Monica Kaczynski and the broad with the long nose.
Meadow Soprano: I just don't think sex should be a punishable offense.
Tony Soprano: You know honey, that's where I agree with you. I don't think sex should be a punishable offense either. But I do think talking about sex at the breakfast table is a punishable offense. So no more sex talk, OK?
Meadow Soprano: It's the 90s. Parents are supposed to discuss sex with their children.
Tony Soprano: Yeah, but that's where you're wrong. You see out there it's the 1990s but in this house it's 1954.
[points to the window]
Tony Soprano: 1990s.
[points to the floor]
Tony Soprano: 1954. So now and forever, I don't want to hear any more sex talk, OK?

Here a video clip but you'll have to fast forward to the 2:06 mark to see the scene above in its entirety... though I recommend watching the whole clip.



I sure do miss The Sopranos. I'm sure HBO does too because they had a lot more subscribers back then!

This movie from 1948 was posted on Victoria Taft's blog yesterday.



Now for the obligatory disclaimer necessary when celebrating anything from America's glorious past... yes, the movie neglected to mention racism and acted as though everything was hunky-dorey if you were a minority in America in 1948. Whatever the failings of capitalism are, the cure for racism is not socialism, communism, totalitarianism or any other -ism. The fix for racism is to change hearts and minds through education and empower every individual to use their God-given talents and freedom. That is what it means to have truly free enterprise.

If you enjoyed the movie, check out the cartoon version of "The Road to Serfdom"...

Ironically, GM paid for the "Road to Serfdom" cartoon... the same General Motors that is now insisting that the federal government needs to bail them out. Methinks GM's management from 1948 would be horrified that today's management is going hat in hand to Congress.

I love reading Bill Fleckenstein on Moneycentral at MSN.

Bill has a good piece today on why China will weather this recession better than all the Western countries that have gone on a credit binge.

People [in China] pay cash for most things, though they do use debit cards. From a credit standpoint, it seems similar to how life in America was back when "Leave It to Beaver" ruled the airwaves.

In other words, back when Eisenhower was in the White House, Americans saved, lived within their means and exercised personal responsibility.

They didn't rack up huge debts and demand the government bail them out of their poor decision making. Lenders were conservative and individuals were conservative. Most folks only dined out on Sunday after church or on special occasions if they dined out at all. Back then, kids would invite their friends over and ask Mom to set aside an extra plate at the dinner table. Nowadays, the average family orders a pizza or goes out to the neighborhood strip mall to eat at Chili's. Small wonder that 3 times as many people are considered obese today than in the 1950s.

Why? Quite simply, Americans in the 1950s benefited from the lessons of the Great Depression (caused by the credit binge and poor decisions of the 1920s) and learned how important it was to save and prepare for rainy days that might lie ahead.

No wonder Tony Soprano had this conversation with his teenage daughter... (yes, I know the irony is rich on so many levels):

Meadow Soprano: It's the 90s. Parents are supposed to discuss sex with their children.
Tony Soprano: Yeah, but that's where you're wrong. You see out there it's the 1990s but in this house it's 1954.
[points to the window]
Tony Soprano: 1990s.
[points to the floor]
Tony Soprano: 1954. So now and forever, I don't want to hear any more sex talk, OK?

The knee-jerk liberal reaction anytime anyone mentions anything good about the 1950s is to respond with "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever..." There were a lot of things that were outright wrong about life in the 1950s and I pray that the struggle for civil rights was not in vain and those rights will never again be trampled. But just because some things in the 1950s were grievously wrong doesn't mean we can't learn from what was right about that time in America.

You can bet your bottom dollar that after this recession is over, Americans will have once again learned the hard way the importance of saving and living within their means. You can also bet that Republicans will fail to win the White House back from the Democrats unless they follow Ike's model of preaching personal responsibility, hard work, saving and investing.

We heard rumblings of this kind of rhetoric from McCain and Palin out on the stump and in the debates but they failed to make a cohesive, salient argument. The public no longer believes Republicans (especially George W. Bush) are credible when it comes to fiscal conservatism. Quite simply, they failed to sell the public.

Ike was a strong fiscal conservative. It's no accident that Jim Lehrer opened one of this year's Presidential debates with a quote by Ike: "We must achieve both security and solvency, in fact the foundation of military strength is economic strength."

Indeed, America may have been much more economically secure in 1932 than we are in 2008. Today, 40% of the world's supply of crude oil passes thru the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to cut off completely if the West attacks it. Contrast that with the 1930s, when America produced enough crude for its own needs and exported the excess to countries like oil-poor Japan.

A major reason why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor was in retaliation for FDR cutting off oil exports and Japan's need to aggresively seize new supplies in Southeast Asia. In order to do this, they had to first cripple the US Pacific fleet. Imagine if a world war broke out today and OPEC refused to export crude to the West as they did in the 1970s in retaliation for Western support of Israel.

Further, America manufactured for itself most everything it needed prior to World War II. Certainly, that is not the case today. What will happen if China suddenly turns hostile to America and joins with Russia, Iran and the OPEC nations and forms a new "Axis Powers" alliance in opposition to the West?

Hard working Americans who save and live within their means are the silent majority and they're waiting for a leader who speaks to them and will be a champion for those values. They're waiting for the next Eisenhower. The only question for the Republicans is: will they give it to them? Or will they keep pretending it's still 1980?

From Saturday's Oregonian:

Even with mortgage troubles increasing, Oregon would have to fall even deeper to catch the depths of the 1980s recession. Oregon also still ranks among the best performing states in the housing collapse. Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Oregon's rate of delinquencies and foreclosures ranks 45th.

Nationally, a record one in 10 homeowners with a mortgage was at least a month behind on payments or in foreclosure at the end of September. The Mortgage Bankers Association's data cover about 85 percent of the outstanding first mortgages in the country.

California and Florida accounted for nearly one-third of all new foreclosures in the third quarter.

Read the full article here

20 year chart using S&P Case Shiller data:



Portland prices are falling, but since they didn't rise as far as California cities did, our prices don't have as far to fall. I didn't include Seattle, Las Vegas and Phoenix simply because S&P didn't track those cities in 1987 and I wanted as complete a picture as possible. You can clearly see the effect of the credit and liquidity bubble beginning in the mid to late 1990s and bursting in 2006.

I lived in Honolulu from 1988 to 1991 and remember well the effect that bubble bursting had on real estate. Honolulu's market is nearly a mirror image of Southern California. People who bought homes in 1990 had to wait until the late 90s to get out from underwater on their mortgages. It could be more than 10 years, maybe even 20 years, before those who bought at the peak of this market can get back above water.

At last report, real estate inventory in Portland was in excess of 11 months. That compares to 8 months a year ago this month and around 3-4 months a few short years ago. Less than 5-6 months is a seller's market and over 6 months is a buyer's market. This is definitely NOT a seller's market. If the yard signs in my neighborhood are any indication, there's not a lot of selling going on... largely because selllers refuse to drop their prices low enough to lure in the buyers.

UPDATE:
Per the Census Bureau, Oregon has gained 45,000 new residents each year since 2000. Of these, 21,547 have settled in the Portland Metro's three counties: Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas. Washington County accounted for half of these residents, attracted to the high tech industries and suburban living on Portland's West side. This bodes well for me since I live and work in Washington County. Combined with the urban growth boundary that limits new construction and props up real estate prices, I don't expect Washington County will experience the same degree of spiraling downward prices California is dealing with. Our prices will continue to fall, probably back to 2004 levels and then will begin to stabilize. Of course, a lot of the inmigration to Oregon comes from California so it remains to be seen if the supply train of new residents to Oregon will stop as California's economy gets worse and worse along with our own.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, my 10 year old nephew found out I was becoming a Catholic and asked me (as only a 10 year old can)... "Why?". Only he asked "Why" about 20 times because I didn't have a good answer on the tip of my tongue.

I realized I should have a good answer for that question at the ready. I know why but it's often difficult to verbalize.

So... concisely as I can, here goes:

I believe that God is Love and Jesus was the greatest teacher of how to love ourselves and one another. I am certain that my marriage ended in divorce not because we weren't meant to be together but because we failed to execute, mostly out of ignorance of how to love one another. We were both good people who fell in love but didn't really understand how to love one another. I'm no longer ignorant but I have a lot to learn and very little practice.

So why Catholicism? I enjoy the Catholic Mass, especially the homily, and feel it is a perfect reinforcement of the teachings contained in the Bible of how to love ourselves and one another. I appreciate that Pope Benedict stresses both faith and reason as equally important. As someone with family roots in southern Germany, I'm really like that the Pope is a Bavarian.

I don't accept every teaching of the Church as the last word, but I believe that whatever flaws the Catholic Church may have are far outweighed by the greater good the church does and the core, immutable beliefs they proclaim.

Okay... maybe not the most concise answer but it's as concise an answer as I have for now!

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Yeah.. I know... Rush reads this story every year at Thanksgiving.

I happen to like the Austrian School's (mises.org) version of the story better than Rush's version.

But here's the relevant piece from Rush's version:

Here now, in its entirety, the William Bradford journal, what he wrote about the social experiment after abandoning what essentially was socialism shortly after the Pilgrims had arrived in the United States or in the new world:

"'The experience that we had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years...that by taking away property, and bringing community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing – as if they were wiser than God,' Bradford wrote. 'For this community [so far as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense...that was thought injustice.'

Do you hear what he was saying, ladies and gentlemen? The Pilgrims found that people could not be expected to do their best work without incentive. So what did Bradford's community try next? They un-harnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking the undergirding capitalistic principle of private property. Every family was assigned its own plot of land to work and permitted to market its own crops and products.'"

Not just use themselves and not just send to a common store but they could market. They could grow as much, they could sell it for what they could get for it, and the incentive was clear to do as much as possible on both sides. "And what was the result? 'This had very good success,' wrote Bradford, 'for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.'

Bradford doesn't sound like much of a Clintonite, does he? Is it possible that supply-side economics could have existed before the 1980s? Yes. Read the story of Joseph and Pharaoh in Genesis 41. Following Joseph's suggestion (Gen 41:34), Pharaoh reduced the tax on Egyptians to 20% during the 'seven years of plenty' and the 'Earth brought forth in heaps.' (Gen. 41:47)

In no time, the Pilgrims found they had more food than they could eat themselves. So they set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London. And the success and prosperity of the Plymouth settlement attracted more Europeans and began what came to be known as the 'Great Puritan Migration.'

Now, let me ask you: Have you read this history before? Is this lesson being taught to your children today? If not, why not? Can you think of a more important lesson one could derive from the Pilgrim experience?

The relevant lesson is that the Pilgrims learned that God intended us to live as free individuals, giving freely of ourselves by our own free choice. If communal living and communal sharing was forced on the population, it would breed resentment.

As Rush correctly concludes, this is exactly why socialism fails, as idealistic and as rosy as it sounds. Certainly, it is well intentioned and seems fair that there should be a safety net for all... a right to housing, food, health care, etc. But won't some be resentful and conspire to produce less? Rather than finding new ways to coax people to produce more, the Pilgrims instituted a far simpler and more effective solution... give each citizen their own land and let them keep their surplus production rather than forcibly confiscating it and redistributing the surplus. Encourage charity and acts of service but don't force it upon anyone.

Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul was so clear:

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:6-7)

Taxation is compulsion. Building a welfare state through taxation is not in keeping with God's plan for humanity and erodes the freedom Americans cherish so dearly and fought fiercely to obtain and preserve. The freedom to be a cheerful giver free from compulsion by an all powerful, confiscatory central government.